Trade Associations Urge Policy-Makers to Move Quickly on TPA
President Barack Obama needs to collaborate with Republican leaders in Congress to move forward on Trade Promotion Authority in order to safeguard retail industry interests, said National Retail Federation President Matthew Shay in a Jan. 14 letter to Obama (here). Shay identified TPA as one of five primary retail priorities.
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The Obama administration also needs to continue to forge ahead with the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership to open global markets for U.S. retail companies., said the letter “November’s elections ended the partisan split that left Congress in gridlock for far too long, and we think the results will create an opportunity for real progress,” said Shay. “With one party in control – either party – bills that otherwise would die just crossing the Capitol Rotunda from one chamber to the other can make it all the way down Pennsylvania Avenue to your desk.”
The Trade Benefits America Coalition also pushed congressional leadership to pass TPA, in a separate letter on the same day (here). "TPA is particularly important now, given ongoing efforts to close the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations and the Administration’s goal of then seeking its Congressional approval this year," said the letter, signed by dozens of associations and companies. "TPA is also critical to advancing the broader U.S. trade agenda, including the ongoing talks on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the Trade in Services Agreement, and an agreement to eliminate tariffs on environmental goods."